Workers in nursing homes are urgently needed. Therefore, the City of Tübingen is once again offering a course for refugees to become everyday support workers.
The ten-month training program for work in nursing homes, assisted living communities, and also in private home settings is organized by the Tübingen specialist department “Support for Refugees.” “Some previous experience in dealing with elderly people in need of care is very helpful,” says organizer Claudia Werum from the Tübingen city administration in an interview with tuenews INTERNATIONAL. A prerequisite for participation is a 40-hour orientation internship or a similar qualification in a care facility before the start of the course. It begins in mid-September 2026.
In addition, interested persons need at least a secondary school qualification and German language skills at B1 level. They must be at least 18 years old.
What Do Everyday Support Workers Do?
Everyday support workers take care of activities for elderly people in care facilities or assisted living communities. They accompany and support them in everyday life, talk with them, sing, do handicrafts, read aloud, or go for walks to maintain mobility, Werum gives as examples. When working in private home settings, they also take on household tasks such as cleaning, cooking, and shopping. Traditional nursing care is not part of the job.
What Basics Are Taught?
Participants learn the basics of working with elderly people in need of care in ten modules that build on one another. In addition to learning about the tasks involved, the course covers medical topics such as high blood pressure, dementia, and stroke. Legal information is also taught, such as liability law and confidentiality obligations. These are certainly difficult topics, organizer Werum admits. However, the instructors make an effort to use easily understandable German and proceed slowly.
The courses are offered by the Association of Catholic Rural People (Verband Katholisches Landvolk). They take place once a week in the evening from 6:00 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. at Derendinger Straße 50 in Tübingen. In addition, there is one full Saturday each month and a supervised internship in a care facility of at least 80 hours during the course.
In September 2026, another qualification course for everyday support work in Tübingen organized by the Department of Support for Refugees will begin. Photo: tuenews INTERNATIONAL / Bernhard Kirschner.
What Does the Everyday Support Course Cost?
Participants pay 250 euros for the course. The amount can also be paid in installments by arrangement. If the interested persons come from a care facility, the facility must cover the costs of 900 euros. The facilities have a great interest in the training, explains Stefanie Bock, head of the Tübingen specialist department Support for Refugees. They can then pay qualified staff better and bill more services to the nursing care insurance funds.
However, the fees and subsidies from the city are not sufficient to finance the program. Therefore, sponsors are still needed in order to continue offering the courses, says Bock. A challenge that is worthwhile. She is still in contact with some former participants. None of them dropped out of the course; instead, after the internship they were employed or continued working in their facility as everyday support workers.
Applications Possible Immediately
“The course is a good entry into working life,” adds organizer Claudia Werum. She can be contacted with questions, and personal registrations should also be sent to her:
claudia.werum@tuebingen.de
07071/2041243
Applications can be submitted immediately. At least 12 participants are required for the course to take place starting in September. It is limited to a maximum of 20 people.
Further information:
https://www.tuebingen.de/fluechtlinge/38888.html#/41922
https://www.pflegehilfe-senioren.de/pflegeratgeber/leben-im-alter/alltagshilfe-senioren/
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